Kneeling actor and standing beauty holding a tray of clothes, from the series "Fuji in Summer Matched with Beautiful Women (Natsu no Fuji bijin awase)"
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
36.9 × 25.4 cm (14 1/2 × 10 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
18966
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan, Utagawa Toyokuni (1769–1825) captures the allure of urban life in this 1801 color woodblock print from his series *Fuji in Matched with Beautiful WomenNatsu no Fuji bij awase)*. A figure in the Utagawa school, Toyokuni specialized in yakusha-e (actor portraits) and bij-ga (images of beauties), blending theater, fashion, and nature. This oban-sized print (36.9 × 25.4 cm) his mastery of dynamic compositions, pairing a kneeling kabuki actor—likely in a dramatic pose—with a graceful standing beauty holding a tray of folded clothes, evoking intimate domesti...
About the Artist
Utagawa Toyokuni I · 1777–1835
Japanese, 1777–1835